The Bet
by faery-of-fiction
Summary: Atobe and Yukimura accept a bet from Niou. Can they get Tezuka to accept a match from them or will they be forced to take the punishment? (Demons and Angels and Bets, Oh my!)


Atobe watched as Yukimura settled into the chaise lounge in one of Atobe's magnificently appointed reception rooms. "So?" He asked after Yukimura had sat silently for several seconds.

"Yes?" Yukimura asked.

This was why Atobe disliked dealing with Yukimura. The man could be so infuriating without even trying. But instead of rising to the bait and declaring that Yukimura knew exactly what he was asking he decided to save themselves the hassle and just go directly to the question. "Do you know why your little trickster asked to meet with us?"

"Not a clue, I'm afraid." Yukimura gave Atobe a soft smile that reminded him of one he'd seen on Fuji before he happily took down his opponents. It was slightly unsettling but while Atobe might fear for the sudden destruction of his furniture he felt secure with his own ability to defend himself if he provoked Rikkai's captain too much.

"How do you not know? Didn't you ask him?"

"Of course I asked him. But he just answered in that gibberish language of his and gave me a wink before walking off."

Atobe tried not to smirk at the look of annoyance on Yukimura's face. "Still haven't learned that language of his? That must annoy you considering his little human friend can understand him."

Yukimura sent a hard look his way and Atobe knew that he should be take more care but he never could resist a chance to poke at Yukimura's sore points. "I swear there's more devil in Yagyuu than there is in the devil himself."

"Are you sure you don't mean that little devil of yours, Kirihara?" Atobe always found the dynamics of Rikkai amusing. Mostly because it made his own team look relatively sane by comparison.

"Unfortunately not. I had high hopes for him but then Renji had to go and ask Shiraishi to look after him. I don't know if he has some sixth sense about these things or if it was just dumb luck that he asks one of the known angels to take care of my pet project. Either way, Kirihara is completely ruined. One week with Shiraishi managed to completely undermine two years of work." Yukimura gave a sigh at that.

"Clearly he wasn't as evil as you had hoped if he was so easily turned. You should just switch your attention to Yagyuu. Or if Niou doesn't want to share his own little project you could always try for Marui. I do believe his gluttonous ways could be used to your advantage."

Yukimura just shrugged. "It's just disappointing to see all that hard work go to waste. I'm tempted to push Renji further to see just what his true character is but we are getting older. It might be time to stop with these silly games and start working towards a bigger picture.

"Very true. Though we still have nearly a full year left of high school so there's no rush quite yet," Atobe said.

Yukimura's eyes focused onto him and Atobe could already guess the next question. "You have a few pet projects you're reluctant to be rid of then?"

"I like to take an interest in my team's lives just as you do. There's nothing wrong with wanting to guide them towards a common goal."

"And who are you working on? Obviously Akutagawa. Any demon worth his horns could see his sloth ways."

Yukimura looked more relaxed now that he wasn't focused on Niou and foiled plans so Atobe decided to indulge him and share some of his plans. Atobe did enjoy a captivated audience after all.

"Of course I've been encouraging Jirou in his ways. Though really, it's not much of a challenge. He may have a certain innocence to him but if you scratch the surface you see that he's actually quite clever and knows how to use his charms to get what he wants. Add to that his love of napping and it's a perfect combination."

Yukimura nodded to that and encouraged him to go on with a wave of his hand. Atobe found the gesture a little annoying as he didn't take orders from Yukimura. But Niou hadn't arrived yet and Yukimura was asking for more information from him so he was willing to go on.

"Oshitari Yuushi also has potential. Especially now that he's decided that seducing men can be just as fun as seducing women."

"And how did he come to this conclusion?" Yukimura asked. It was clear he wanted to know if Atobe had a direct influence on that decision.

"Despite what your perverted mind may be thinking, it wasn't me. Well, not the way you're thinking anyway. We merely enjoyed watching Shishido and Jirou play a match and I may have brought up the topic of how handsome they looked with muscles flexing and sweat coating their bodies. And from there it was easy to see Yuushi's eyes following Shishido around the court. A few more suggestions and Yuushi has now made a game out of trying to get into Shishido's pants. Alas, the poor boy is clueless but that's what makes it so entertaining to watch."

"I could imagine. Though it's not quite the games I'm interested in playing. No plans for Shishido himself?"

"His doubles partner has ruined him for much at the moment. Losing to Tachibana didn't help either. He used to have such beautiful pride and vanity until he lost. Not that he still isn't prideful but it's too tempered at the moment to make anything out of it. I suppose if Yuushi ever does succeed with Shishido then I might be able to do something with him. But there's no immediate plans."

Yukimura nodded at that. "So you think Ohtori is an angel?"

One thing Atobe always felt annoying and unfair in the world was that angels always seemed to be able to pinpoint demons immediately but it was nearly impossible for them, as demons, to name who were angels. Not unless they saw some angelic moment in progress or if they seriously outranked the angel. Or, in the case of Shiraishi, they all but broadcasted their status to the world. Bible of Tennis... hardly subtle.

Even worse, that as demons in training, they wouldn't come into their true power until they turned twenty. So it meant that currently, even the lowest ranking of angels, who came into their powers at birth, outranked them. Making them all but invisible to their senses for another two years. It was frustrating. Though fortunately for them, angels worked under a strict code of what they could and couldn't do on Earth. And despite all the romanticising from books and Hollywood and even silly greeting cards, angels were not all love, sympathy and comfort. Angels could be just as demonic as demons at times, at least from Atobe's point of view.

But did he think Ohtori was an angel? That was something he debated for a while when Ohtori first entered the tennis club and he had kept a cautious watch over the tall tennis player. "I do. Even if he says the cross necklace he likes is decorative I think he just said it to not make me or Kabaji uncomfortable." Ohtori would certainly be the type of angel who would be concerned with a demon's comfort at school.

"It makes sense. Even when I've seen him play seriously and get angry there's still this feeling of righteousness to it. It's almost nauseating to watch. I don't know how you put up with it on your team. I do my best to make sure no such obvious angels slip onto my team."

"So you've given up on your thoughts of Sanada being an angel?" Atobe asked. He remembered having several vigorous debates with Yukimura about it in the past.

"We've been friends for so long that he's so loyal to me that even if he is an angel I'm quite confident in my ability to get him to fall. Did you forget how dedicated he was to me in junior high school when I was ill. He was so determined to keep his vow to me to not lose that he would physically punish the team and himself." Yukimura's eyes glowed with a fiery pride at that memory and Atobe knew that if Sanada did turn out to be an angel and Yukimura got him to fall that his fellow demon would be insufferable to be near. The smugness would be overwhelming. At least until Atobe found his own angel to corrupt to even the playing field again.

"Angels are fickle creatures. He could easily have justified it by keeping his word to you even if you are a demon. And angels can be quite the vengeful bastards when pushed to it. So he could say the slaps were merely punishment for not upholding their word to their captain." Atobe said trying to downplay the possibility of Sanada being a corrupted angel. He didn't need to put up with any smugness today.

"I suppose you're right. But it does bother me that one of my close friends could be an enemy."

"That's the risk we all take while associating with humans." He gave an elegant shrug and then looked over at the time. "He's late. How long does he plan to keep us waiting? We'll be forced to find ways to entertain ourselves if he doesn't hurry."

Yukimura gave him a look. "I hope you mean tennis."

"If that's how you enjoy expending your energy than we can play tennis. Though if you don't start loosening up then people are going to wonder if some angel got to you. Maybe Sanada is the one corrupting you and not the other way around," Atobe teased. It was foolish as he knew that Yukimura tended to get sensitive about such things for some odd reason and there was a chance that he could get annoyed enough to start setting things on fire. But it was too easy of a target to resist.

"I am not being corrupted. Sanada and I are both just focused on different aspects of our lives right now. Besides, if Sanada needed corrupting in that way, I suspect you or Niou would be more eager than myself to do it. Demon or not, he's far too much like a brother for me to enjoy that sort of exercise with him."

"Ahn, so you're giving me permission to help corrupt him."

Yukimura gave short glare and then shrugged. "I'd prefer to do it myself but if you're too bored with sleeping your way through your fanclub than I suppose Rikkai could offer you a better selection of partners."

"And would that selection include you?" Atobe asked eyeing up Yukimura so there would be no misunderstandings.

Yukimura gave a snort. "Didn't I just tell you that my attention and focus is elsewhere right now?"

Atobe wasn't going to let that opening go and so he quickly answered, "You did. But those things won't need your attention forever."

"Long enough for you to get bored of this."

"Afraid I will ruin you for anyone else? My prowess in bed is just as renowned as my prowess on the courts."

"So by ruin you mean turning me off of sex by being so bad at it?"

Atobe gave an annoyed growl and was thinking of sending a bolt of power in Yukimura's direction when his butler, Michael, entered the room with Niou slinking in behind him. "Yo," Niou said as gave a small salute with his fingers to the two of them. He then slid past Michael and into a chair that he easily sprawled on to.

"Congratulations on nearly being on time," Atobe drawled as he waved Michael away. His butler gave a small bow and exited from the room, closing the door behind them so they had privacy.

"I'm sure you'll find it was worth the wait," Niou said.

"Then why don't you share it with us so we can decide," Yukimura said interrupting Atobe before he could get another snarky retort in.

Atobe relented and waved his hand at Niou so he knew to continue.

"I have a proposition."

"If this is you trying to suggest an orgy between us and that atrocious team from Okinawa again, the answer is still no," Atobe said. It was best to pre-empt such ideas before they had time to take hold. And before he had to listen to Niou try to sell said ideas to them. His time was valuable after all.

"Not everything is about sex, Atobe. You have such a dirty mind these days," Niou said. Yukimura gave a soft snort at that but otherwise remained quiet.

"Well if it's not orgy based, then what is it?"

"A bet."

"A bet?" Yukimura and Atobe asked together.

"Why on earth would we agree to a bet with you?" Atobe added.

"Because you two live off of challenges and the prize is worth it."

"Alright then, I'll bite. What's the prize?" Atobe asked thinking that it had better be good to not only waste his time but to also intrigue them enough to take the challenge.

"It's pretty straight forward. If either one of you win the bet, then Fuji and I will do your demon duties for a month. If you both win, we'll do it for six weeks."

That was actually a fair bet. Atobe hated doing his demon duties. He felt such tasks were far beneath him and tried to get out of it as often as possible. But Niou had only so far explained half of the bet.

"And if we lose?" Yukimura asked.

"You and Atobe cover Fuji's and mine duties for a month."

"What do you and Fuji get out of this? I'm assuming you're just bored and looking for entertainment. But why Fuji?" Atobe asked. It wasn't often that the Seigaku demon got involved in Niou's games.

"He's been running into some troubles and wanted help. I said that you two were probably the best option and the bet was born."

"What're his troubles?" Yukimura asked.

"Tezuka."

"Tezuka?" Atobe gave a snort. Yes, Tezuka could be problematic but Fuji had dealt with him for more than a few years and had to be skilled enough by now at being able to handle the stoic bastard.

"You know what he's like. And Fuji's been trying to get up to some masterpiece of mischief with Eiji but Tezuka keeps interfering. He thought the best course of action was to get him out of the way for a while. And that's where you two come in..."

"And you think bribing us with doing our demon duties will work? As troublesome as they are, I don't know if being free from them is worth doing yours and Fuji's dirty work," Yukimura said before looking over at Atobe to see what his thoughts on it were.

"I agree. Though I'm willing to let you lay down the terms of the bet. But you better wow us Niou."

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't think it'd be fun for you, Yukimura," Niou started, " And the bet is easy. We need Tezuka distracted and what better way than through tennis. So if one of you can get Tezuka to agree to play a match, you win. If both of you play a match with Tezuka then you get six weeks free of demon duties."

It was a tempting offer. And in theory, it didn't sound that difficult. But theory didn't account for Tezuka's stubbornness. And if he caught wind of the bet at all, then there was likely no way at all of winning it. "And Fuji won't share these details with anyone?"

"Nope. It's not in his interest for Tezuka to know. Remember, he wants Tezuka out of the way. And I like a good show so I won't rig it either," Niou said and held up his fingers in a mock show of scouts honour.

"I'm sure you wouldn't do anything to interfere with me, Niou. But I'm still not sure why it's a bet and not just an offer of payment for services," Yukimura said as he shifted on the chair he was sitting on.

"It's more fun as a bet. More incentive for you two not to lose, right?"

"True enough. But also less incentive for us to take the bet."

Niou sat up straighter in his chair and leaned towards Yukimura. "Except that I know that you and Atobe love the thrill of a game. It's more fun for you this way, isn't it?"

Yukimura and Niou stared at each other a bit longer before Yukimura gave a smile and small laugh and nodded. "Fine, I'm in. This semester was turning out too boring anyway. Atobe?"

"I suppose it could prove entertaining. And I do like an excuse to get under Tezuka's skin."

"Not just under his pants?" Niou asked, a teasing grin spread across his face.

"Ahn, I knew it was all about sex with you, Niou."

"Maybe. But just remember, sex doesn't count as winning a match. Not that I think you could bed Tezuka anyway."

"Would you care to make another wager about it?" Atobe countered. He had plenty of faith in his seduction skills after all.

"One bet at a time. Puri~" Niou said and then stood. "If we all agree to the current terms let's shake on it." He held out his hand and after looking at it for a moment, Atobe stood and shook it with Yukimura following suit.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Yukimura looked at the id on his phone as it rang and reluctantly picked it up. "Yukimura speaking," He said.

"I was thinking, we could make this little bet more interesting by adding an extra one of our own." The voice on the phone said.

Yukimura knew exactly who it was but thought taking a page out of Fuji's book would be an easy to bother the Hyoutei captain. "I'm sorry. Who is this?"

The annoyed huff at the other end of the line was very satisfying.

"You know exactly who this is. Unless your brain's been addled. And I was thinking we should add our own bet on top of Fuji's and Niou's. The one who can get Tezuka to play against them first wins an extra prize."

Yukimura considered the proposition. It was intriguing and certainly wouldn't interfere with Niou's challenge. But it did depend on the prizes. "What are we betting?"

"We can each decide what we want if we win. I wouldn't spend too much time on it though as I'm quite sure I'll beat you to it."

Yukimura didn't rise to the bait. Atobe was always blowing hot air like that and he was rarely able to back it up, at least when it came to challenging Rikkai and himself in particular. "Fine. If I win, I want you to dip into that piggy bank of yours and help with the landscaping at my school." The gardens were simply lacking despite his and the gardening club's best effort to spruce things up over the year. There was only so much they could do without proper funds to pay for the bigger projects.

"That's it? Fine. I'd be happy to help beautify Rikkai in the rare chance that I lose. Now, if I win... I want you to go on a date with me."

Yukimura frowned at that and wondered if he had heard wrong. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. I win and we have a date night."

Yukimura's frown deepened. Atobe was always a bit more flirtatious and scandalous than most and had certainly aimed such things at him in the past but he'd always deflected it. Even earlier in the week he had told Atobe that he didn't have the time nor inclination for such things. Still, Atobe was asking for a date and not a hook up so it might not be so bad. "Just a date?"

"Yes, just a date. I know how prudish you can be. Unless of course my charm wins you over by the end of the night. Then I'd be happy to accommodate you." Atobe was practically purring into the phone.

"You're quite delusional this evening aren't you? First thinking you'll win and then thinking I'll succumb to such pathetic charms. You'll have to work harder than that."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm such a hard worker."

Yukimura was about to argue before realizing he was about to fall into the common trap of judging Atobe for what he presents to the world instead of by how hard the demon really did work behind the scenes. "I'm not sure even you can work hard enough for that. And if that's all, I'm going to go finish my homework."

"That's all for now. I'll let you know the details for our date soon."

There was a click and silence indicating that Atobe had hung up. Yukimura did the same and turned back to his books. But his thoughts weren't on Japanese literature. They were too busy pondering just why Atobe would make a bet with the prize being a date with him.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Atobe strode through the entrance gates of Seigaku's high school with his head held high and full of confidence. He had done his research. He knew where the courts are and even more importantly, he knew where the student council office was. Which is where he headed after casually sneaking in through the genkan. If you looked like you belonged somewhere, people typically didn't question it. And wearing civilian tennis clothes instead of his school uniform was hopefully helping him to blend in a little.

He walked swiftly past the teachers' office and to a small hall that led to the student council room. It seemed he was in luck. The door was open and it was only Tezuka in there at the moment. Head bent over a stack of papers, clearly hard at work sorting out whatever the previous meeting had produced.

Atobe gave the doorframe a polite knock before slipping into the room and closing the door. Only then did Tezuka look up from his work at the demon. "Yes?" He asked as if it wasn't at all strange to see Atobe slumming it in Seigaku.

"I have a proposition for you?" Atobe purred as he slid around the table to lean against it near Tezuka.

Tezuka's eyebrows went up a little but other than that there was no indication to what he was thinking. Still, even that was more of a reaction than people usually got from the famed stoic captain. Had his reputation of his numerous dalliances made it all the way to Tezuka's ears? And did Tezuka really think it might be that kind of proposition? Interesting. But not something he could pursue this time. He had goals today and bets to win.

"I was thinking my team could use extra practice and I know you're always trying to push your own team. So how about a friendly practice match? We could end with our own singles match to awe our teams with." Atobe figured there was no reason not to play each other. They were the only two who could give each other an equal run for their money, especially with the brat still off running around causing mayhem in the American tennis circuits.

"It's something to consider," Tezuka said after a long moment of silence. He reached over for the planer on the table and started flipping through it. "Perhaps between the kanto and nationals?" He asked as he looked at the training schedules.

Atobe peered over a little to see what was in the calendar for Seigaku's tennis club and frowned at how busy it was. Also, while he still might win his bet with Niou and Fuji if he took that offer, he was sure he wouldn't win the one with Yukimura. "Nothing closer? I was hoping to spark a bit more passion in my team before the Kanto tournament. They can be a little arrogant if you remember."

Tezuka gave him a glance before looking back at his planner. "If your team is arrogant, you should use your skills as their captain to remind them that humility has its place. Though there is nothing wrong with being confident about your skills either." There were a few more page flips before Tezuka shook his head. "I'm sorry. We don't have the time. We have our own ranking tournaments to do."

"I see..." Atobe wasn't amused but he knew if he pushed too much further that Tezuka would start to suspect something or cancel the whole thing. "I guess I'll have to take what I can get."

"Should we play here or at Hyoutei?" Tezuka asked. He had pulled out a pencil and was writing in crisp, clean kanji on the agreed upon date.

"Hyoutei facilities are better. But I suppose I wouldn't want to strain any Seigaku member's budget on train fare. We'd be willing to come here."

There was no response as Tezuka just wrote the location on the date. Clearly he wasn't amused at either the insinuation that Seigaku's facilities were inadequate or that his teammates were poor. "Is that all? You could have saved yourself a trip and phoned." Tezuka leaned back in his chair and looked up at Atobe. Clearly not bothered by the other captain's position which had Atobe towering over him.

"I could have but you do have that pesky habit of hanging up on people Tezuka."

"Do I?" Tezuka asked.

Atobe swore that Tezuka was teasing him but this was Tezuka. The man famed for not having a sense of humour, right? Still, Atobe was willing to play along with Tezuka's attempt at finding a personality. "In my experience, you do. You should endeavour to make it up to me?"

"And what would it entail?" Tezuka asked cautiously. But since it wasn't a no, Atobe just smiled more.

"A friendly game. Since I did come all the way down here, why waste a chance to go a couple of rounds. I have a few new moves I think you might like," Atobe said.

"Do you think you can break my own moves with them?" Tezuka asked.

The two of them had met up on the courts a couple of times since the dramatic match in their third year at junior high school and all of them had been challenging with both of them pushing themselves and testing new moves on each other. Though Tezuka had learned to not fall for Atobe's trap of making it a long game and Atobe had learned to go for points and not style when needed.

"I think they'll certainly challenge you. What do you say?"

"Honestly... it's tempting. But I'm afraid I planned on working on this all day so I haven't brought my tennis equipment," Tezuka said looking a bit abashed.

"Seriously?"

"It's the club's break day so I didn't plan on playing here."

"Ahn, but you planned on playing today? Where? We could head out now," Atobe said. Not willing to lose his advantage with drawing Tezuka in for a match.

"At home. But not for a few hours still. I apologize Atobe. But you'll just have to wait for the team match."

"I suppose it wouldn't do to encourage you to shirk your responsibilities," Atobe said even though it pained him as a demon to support hard work and diligence. "Perhaps you could come over to my house to play before the team matches. I just had the surface of the courts redone but haven't had a chance to play a proper match on them yet."

"It's a tempting offer but I'd hate to intrude on your home."

"It's not an intrusion when you've been invited, Tezuka. Really now, no need to be that polite after all the years we've known each other." He inched a bit closer to the stoic man. "How about you look at that planner of yours and let me know when you have some time free and I'll make sure to free my own schedule."

Tezuka looked up at him and pushed his chair back from the table a little. Atobe was sure it was an attempt to put space between them and not an invitation to move closer or sit on his lap so he stayed where he was.

"I'll consider it, Atobe. Now you should go before you get us in trouble as I doubt you thought to register as a guest at the office first."

Atobe gave a regal shrug and pushed up off the table. "Fine. But I will get my match. It's been a while since we've had one and I want to make sure I can still beat you."

"Of course," Tezuka said, not rising to the bait.

Atobe just gave a laugh and headed out of Tezuka's council room and then the school. It wasn't a complete victory but as long as Niou and Fuji's bet didn't have a time limit, he thought he'd still be in with a chance for at least winning that bet.

Once he was back in the car and his driver was heading back towards his house, he sent Yukimura a message, updating him on what happened.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Yukimura wasn't about to let Atobe win. Which meant he had until the team practice match against Hyoutei and Seigaku to get Tezuka to play with him. And unlike Atobe, he wouldn't make the mistake of approaching Tezuka when he wasn't prepared to play tennis.

That was why he was standing at a street court in Tokyo that he knew that Tezuka liked to frequent. It was a little out of the way and Yukimura hoped that Tezuka didn't question too much why he was there but he had his reasons ready if he did. He was here to win and he wouldn't let minor suspicions get in his way.

He was rallying against a half wall with himself and just starting to work up a sweat when Tezuka appeared from around the corner. He continued a for a few more hits until Tezuka had deposited his bag on a bench before catching the ball. "Tezuka," He greeted.

"Yukimura," Tezuka said with a nod. "You're a long way from Kanagawa..." The tone of his voice meant that it wasn't so much a casual observation so much as it was a question. Which was fine by Yukimura. He was prepared for it.

"I had an appointment with a specialist nearby and thought I'd hit the street courts after. There's a much better selection of players here," Yukimura said casually. He walked to the bench beside the one Tezuka was on and set down his racket and picked up his water bottle. "Unfortunately, it seems I picked an unpopular court."

Tezuka gave a nod and started taking his own racket out of his bag. "Is your illness still bothering you?" Tezuka asked after a moment.

It was an odd question from Tezuka if only because the man wasn't known for pressing people on private matters. But it could be a sign that was interested in playing with him but wanted to make sure he would be up to the challenge. "Just a check-up. I'm sure you know how it is."

Tezuka gave another nod but Yukimura didn't miss the glance he gave his left arm. Yukimura may have suffered a demonic illness he had to pretend was some human one but Tezuka had suffered physical injuries that he stubbornly kept damaging. But it did mean that Tezuka was experienced with precautionary check-ups. "I'm glad you've recovered. But unfortunately this court isn't very popular except on weekends."

"I see... Well it's a good thing you're here then. The wall wasn't offering me much competition."

"My apologies, Yukimura. I'm meeting Tachibana Kippei here in a few minutes for a small match," Tezuka said as he stood and started stretching.

"Really? I didn't realize you two were so close."

"Fuji asked if I'd play him. Apparently Tachibana was looking for an opponent to help push him but Fuji's style of tennis isn't always best suited for that."

Yukimura frowned at that. Fuji had asked Tezuka to play a match with Tachibana? It sounded very similar to what Niou had asked Atobe and him to do. Were they rigging the bet against them or was Fuji just maximizing his chances for causing mischief? Though Yukimura had to wonder just what Fuji was planning that he wanted Tezuka busy and distracted even away from school hours and into the evening when they shouldn't have been encountering one another.

Yukimura supposed that part of the mystery didn't really matter. He was more concerned about his pride and how he and Atobe were going to win this if Niou and Fuji were playing it from multiple angles. Surely there were only so many people Tezuka would accept requests from to play against before he became suspicious.

"I don't suppose you'd be up for a rotation? I have been intrigued to play against Tachibana considering all he's managed to do for Fudoumine in junior high school and now his current high school's team."

"He might be up to it. But I'm afraid I pushed my team hard at practice today so I don't think I'd be able to play more than one match to my best ability."

"Too many laps," Yukimura asked. Tezuka's penchant for assigning an extreme amount of laps around the courts or school ground was nearly as legendary as his tennis.

"...I wouldn't say too many. Just enough to help build up their stamina. And afterwards we had some skill based challenges," Tezuka said with a small frown on his face.

Yukimura had also heard about those skill based challenges and what the penalty was for missing. It was things like that that made him wonder if Tezuka didn't have a bit of demon qualities in him.

It also made him wonder how the other members of Seigaku's team were doing. If Tezuka was feeling the drain of the day's practice and only thought he could handle one friendly match then how tired must the other members be? And was it just coincidence that Tezuka would run his team into the ground when he had a match with someone Fuji asked him to play or did Tezuka already suspect something was up?

Yukimura decided he wasn't going to get any answers from Tezuka and certainly not from Tachibana when he arrived so the best course of action was to leave and regroup. "It's good to push people once and a while to help bring out their best," Yukimura said politely to Tezuka sharing what the team had practiced. "But obviously it means I won't be finding any good partners at this court. I don't suppose you could suggest a different one to try? I have some time before I need to catch the train still."

Tezuka gave a nod and then pulled out his phone and brought up the map. He gave Yukimura directions to the more popular court and even offered to send him the adress but Yukimura said he'd managed. Especially since he had no intention of going to the court. He doubted Tezuka would care enough to check up on other players to see if he had turned up and if for some reason he did, Yukimura will just say he got a phonecall and had to go elsewhere.

They said their goodbyes and as Yukimura was leaving he crossed paths with Tachibana, proof that Tezuka was indeed telling the truth about their tennis date. "Tachibana," Yukimura said in greeting.

"Yukimura," Tachibana returned, not quite able to keep the surprise out of his voice.

"Have a good game." Yukimura gave him a soft smile that wasn't at all encouraging and then left down the trail to head back to the street and away from the courts. He was annoyed at Tezuka for being too tired to play him. And certainly he was annoyed at Tachibana for having made plans to play Tezuka when he was trying to do so. But more importantly, he was quite annoyed at Fuji and Niou.

So, as he'd just been stood up by Tezuka and was suddenly free while all the way in central Tokyo, Yukimura pulled out his phone and sent Atobe a line message.

'We need to meet.'

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Yukimura was led through the exquisitely appointed restaurant on the top floor of a posh hotel to where Atobe was waiting for him at a table next to the window. "I was thinking something more like a cafe," Yukimura said as he sat down.

"Don't worry, I'll cover the bill," Atobe said.

"Thank you," Yukimura said a lot more cordially than he felt. But he was grateful that he wouldn't have to pay for anything at the restaurant as he just knew that while delicious it would all be ridiculously expensive. But that wasn't what was bothering him. "But that's not the problem. This feels like a date and I don't believe you've won."

"If it feels like a date it's all in your own head and must be your secret desire to date me sneaking out," Atobe said as he picked up his glass of sparkling juice to take a sip of. "I merely had plans with a lovely lady tonight but was forced to cancel on her for you. I saw no need to let a difficult to acquire reservation go to waste."

Yukimura let out a less than dignified snort at not only the insinuation that he wanted to date Atobe but that this was a difficult reservation to get. He had no doubt that for all the other diners it was but he doubted Atobe had the same troubles. "Was that or was it not your family's name on the hotel outside?"

"I never said it was difficult for me to acquire. Just that they are difficult in general."

Yukimura gave that point to Atobe and sent him a small smile. "Fair enough. But that doesn't mean you can project your own desires on me. It's clear from your bet that you want to date me. Not the other way around."

"You did agree to the bet. But I suppose we could bicker about that all night. But I don't think that's why you called me here. What did you need to talk about?" Atobe asked and then handed Yukimura a menu.

"The bet we made with Niou and Fuji… I think we're going to run up against some challenges," Yukimura said but his attention was currently on the menu and the exotic ingredients listed. This restaurant really did have intriguing food and with no prices listed he knew he was glad he accepted Atobe's offer to pay.

"Well we always knew there would be challenges. Tezuka's always been a tricky player to pin down and is fond of his rules."

"It's not that. It's what I may have learned this evening."

"Let's order first so you can tell me this uninterrupted." Atobe flagged down a waiter easily and gave his own order. He looked up at Yukimura, clearly asking if his companion was able to order for himself.

Yukimura ignored the look and Atobe as a whole as he ordered his own meal, closing the menu and returning it to the waiter to take.

"You fit in so well here, Yukimura."

"Do your typical dates fail such simple tasks?"

"Horribly so. I'm glad to see you live up to expectations. But I doubt showing me our skills with a high class foreign menu was what you wanted to discuss. What did you learn?"

"I used my connections to find out where Tezuka was likely to play tennis while off school property."

"You mean you asked Yanagi to tell you," Atobe interrupted.

Yukimura ignored the interruption and carried on. He knew it would annoy Atobe more than any sort of response could. "I arrived before Tezuka and started warming up and when he did arrive I made my excuses for being there and asked if he was up for a game. And he had to apologize as he was there to meet Tachibana."

Atobe sat silently for a minute before speaking. "That doesn't sound so odd. They're both captains in the same area of Tokyo and high ranked players…"

Yukimura had thought about that and how their personalities complemented each other and he probably wouldn't have thought much more of it if Tezuka hadn't been in a sharing mood. "Tezuka said that Fuji had helped set up the match."

"Ah, I see."

"I thought you might. And to make things more complicated."

"Things can get more complicated?" Atobe asked and Yukimura couldn't tell if he was shocked, intrigued or enjoying himself.

"Yes. You should know things can always get more complicated with Fuji and Niou involved. Now hush."

Atobe looked as if he was going to object but then gave a casual shrug and leaned back in his chair and gestured for Yukimura to go on.

If Yukimura didn't think he needed Atobe's insight and help with this he probably would have left or at least have kicked him under the table for that sort of gesture but reigned in his temper for now. "Anyway, when I asked if they'd be up to rotating through some more matches, Tezuka admitted that he ran the team extra hard both in laps and skill tests."

"Hmmm that is complicated… So you think that not only are Fuji and Niou asking others to distract Tezuka but that Tezuka is aware of Fuji's little game?"

"I do."

"But to what end? Are they trying to sabotage us or is Fuji up to something so big that he needs Tezuka that distracted?" Atobe asked before thanking the waiter for bringing their appetizers.

"I suspect a bit of both. But if it means Tezuka has got wise to it, it will aso make our plans more difficult."

"Well I already got my team scheduled to play Tezuka and he agreed to play me so we should still win the bet."

"I asked Niou about the timeline. He says it needs to be done before the Kanto tournaments are done."

"Oh, that's so nice of him to say that now," Atobe drawled, not impressed at all. "I refuse to be made a fool of Yukimura."

"Me, too. Which is why I suggest we drop our own bet so we can work together to ensure we at least win the one against Niou and Fuji."

Atobe was silent a moment as he ate an appetizer but finally nodded. "Agreed. But you do know that kidnapping Tezuka and forcing him to play us is probably against the rules of the bet… and is illegal."

Yukimura gave a small laugh at that and tucked into his own appetizers. "While I was thinking we might need to be more forceful with our intentions to play Tezuka, I wasn't thinking that extreme. But we may want to keep it as a last resort if we get desperate."

It was Atobe's turn to laugh. "True. So… let's make some plans."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Their plan to unite and conquer was not working out for them. They had worked together to casually run into Tezuka after tennis practices on several occasions in different locations to ask him to play much to no avail. They had also interspersed this with phone calls of challenges and even organized a day of friendly matches between rival captains. Feeling that there was the chance that Tezuka may be an angel or have some sort of intuition, Atobe had even offered to pay for Shiraishi's travel fare so he could join in. Surely that would help make Tezuka feel more comfortable since Shiraishi was so obviously the angelic type. But it hadn't worked. He had a pre-planned weekend fishing with his grandfather.

While Atobe and Yukimura were sure the other rival captains in the area had enjoyed the friendly competition they were far too distracted with the looming deadline to find much joy in it.

"We have a week," Atobe said after the last of the guests had left and they were ensconced in a small study with drinks and snacks.

"Less than that since he won't want to play the day before the tournaments."

"Do we risk the direct approach?" Atobe knew that Tezuka was not a fan of the direct approach but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I feel we've been direct enough as it is. Maybe we need something more subtle."

"We tried that. It got us the cold shoulder. Unless you're suggesting we divide our resources again."

"I'm not sure it would help," Yukimura said as he stood and started pacing. "We can't lose to Niou and Fuji."

"Agreed. But we have one very stubborn Seigaku captain in our way. And I don't think explaining that we made a bet about him will help our cause at all." Atobe leaned back in the chair he was on and watched Yukimura move around the study. Partially because Yukimura looked rather impressive when angry and pacing and also because if things started to catch on fire, he would be able to promptly put them out.

"True. I suppose there's nothing left but to make one final joint push for the match and refuse to accept no for an answer. I refuse to give up."

Atobe nodded his agreement and the two eventually worked out the details of their plan which was more a desperate last attempt.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Most of the Seigaku team paused and stared as Yukimura and Atobe, in full tennis uniforms, strode through the entrance of the courts and looked around. Atobe was sure they made a formidable and impressive sight so he couldn't blame the stares. But of course the one man's who attention they wanted was dutifully continuing practice and not turning to see what the commotion was.

"Tezuka," Atobe called across the courts, finally getting Tezuka's attention.

"Atobe," Tezuka said with a nod and then looked at Yukimura with a small tilt to his head, the clearest sign Tezuka would give to being confused about the two of them being there together, Atobe assumed. "Yukimura," Tezuka added with another nod. "Why are you here?"

"To play you, of course," Atobe said, his voice filled with the commanding arrogance that demanded attention.

"We feel you've been avoiding us and this was the best way to resolve the issue," Yukimura said.

"Issue?" Tezuka asked as walked closer to them so they no longer had to yell across the courts.

"Yes. We want to play a match with you but you keep avoiding us. So we decided to team up and challenge you to a match together," Atobe said. He noticed the warning look from Yukimura about laying it on too thick. But Atobe believed the only way to get water from this stone was to force it open. They wouldn't get anything if they just kept poking at it.

"I'm sorry. But no outside players are allowed to attend practice," Tezuka said in annoying even tone.

"Surely an exception can be made. We even checked in properly at the office this time." Atobe held up his visitor pass as proof.

"It's not a school decision but a tennis decision. We don't need distractions nor our strategies leaking to other schools."

Yukimura and Atobe both frowned at that. "We've been playing each other for years. We know your strategies and a friendly match with us could be good for you to get into shape."

Tezuka just stared at Atobe for a moment and Atobe thought for just a second that he had won. Then, Tezuka turned to look at all of the team members who were watching instead of practicing.

"Everyone, twenty laps. Now," Tezuka commanded.

The whole team moved as one toward the gates that led from the court to start running, not without a few grumbled but nobody objected. Even Atobe and Yukimura took a step before standing their ground, realizing that they didn't have to follow Tezuka's orders.

"Now that we're alone, Do you have time for a match?" Yukimura asked.

"No. I need to set an example and run with my team. If you'll excuse me. And please be gone when we get back." He gave them both a nod of goodbye before turning to start the laps himself.

"That went well," Atobe said as he watched Tezuka retreat.

"I knew this was too direct."

"You hardly had a better suggestion."

"And I still don't. We showed all of our cards here. There's no way he'll agree to play with us now. We've lost," Yukimura said angrily.

Atobe was just as annoyed and unfortunately just as stumped as Yukimura. "Let's go back to mine. I do believe there's some wonderful vintages with our name on it." If they were going to admit defeat, they didn't have to do it sober.

"Fine." Yukimura headed toward the gate, glaring at anyone who glanced their way as they left the grounds.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Tezuka was walking home when he paused suddenly in the path. "Niou, what did you want?"

He turned to look as Niou popped up from behind the bushes and slithered out onto the path with him. "How'd you know I was there. Were your angel senses tingling?" Niou asked with a grin.

Tezuka resisted the urge to sigh and instead pointed to Niou's hair. "It's not the best camouflage."

"I guess you got me there." Niou gave a shrug and leaned back on his heels as he assessed Tezuka.

"Niou… why were you watching me?"

"I figured you probably wanted to yell at me or somethin'."

"Yell at you? Why?" Tezuka asked and then thought about the increase of challenges to play tennis from formidable players."You're Fuji's co-conspirator? I didn't think he'd rope someone from Rikkai into his games."

"You are a clever angel, aren't you~?" He rocked onto his toes and then back on to his heels before sidestepping, forcing Tezuka to turn a little to follow his movements. "Care to show me your wings?"

Tezuka knew that Niou was a demon, even without angelic powers, Tezuka would be able to make a fair guess of it. But Niou shouldn't have been able to pick up that Tezuka was an angel, at least not yet. He was an archangel in training. That meant that a demon had to not only reach the age of maturity to be able to pick up his status but also be equal ranking in power or stronger. While he was sure some of his current acquaintances would be able to do so in time there should have been no way for Niou to do so if he was who he said he was.

Or maybe Niou was just bluffing. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Is there a reason you keep calling me an angel?"

"Playing shy? It's okay. I'm good at keeping a secret." Niou held his finger up to his lips as if Tezuka had confirmed something and he was going to keep it quiet.

Tezuka thought it best to just stay silent and move the conversation on then confirm or deny anything. He had a feeling either would be used against him somehow. "That doesn't explain what you were doing with Fuji…"

"Fuji wanted to get up to some mischief and so did I. It just so happened that our mischief making was complimentary."

"I'm assuming you're the one that convinced Atobe and Yukimura to ask for a match with me?" He knew that Tachibana and Saeki had come from Fuji's side. And while Fuji was friends with Yukimura he couldn't see Atobe doing what Fuji requested.

"Guilty as charged. Did it bother you having so much demon attention on you?" Niou asked. Obviously he wasn't in agreement about dropping the issue.

"I'm the captain of Seigaku, I'm used to all types of attention on me," Tezuka said. Neatly sidestepping a direct answer. "Though I am curious as to how you convinced them to devote so much time to it."

"Atobe was easy. He has some weird fetish for you. After that you just need to insult his ego a little and he's hooked. Yukimura just needs a good challenge and better bait."

Tezuka did not want to think about any of Atobe's fetishes, especially ones that concerned him. So that left Yukimura. "I thought you respected your captain."

"I do. But it doesn't mean he gets to escape all my games. Where's the fun in that?"

Tezuka gave a nod and adjusted the strap of his tennis bag on his shoulder. "What was the bait?" He finally asked.

"A bet. They get you to accept a match and Fuji and I would cover their demon duties. They lose and they do ours. Easy… though I think they made an extra bet on top of that," Niou explained as he circled Tezuka again.

Tezuka really wished he would stop circling. He didn't like leaving his back exposed but he also refused to turn around in circles like a fool. So he tracked Niou's movements as best he could with his head and considered his words. "Demon duties?"

"They're fun. Want me to send you the info on where to see them doing it?"

"I'm not sure they'd appreciate that. I am the reason they lost," Tezuka said.

"I guess it wouldn't be very angelic. But then… archangels are sort of bastards, aren't they? I'll text you when I know." With one last teasing grin, Niou turned and waved goodbye before heading back into the bushes.

Tezuka watched him curiously for a moment, his white hair was still plainly visible so he wasn't trying to escape or hide. Which meant that if Tezuka wanted, he could go up to him and question how he knew so much.

But while Tezuka was only an archangel in training, he wasn't a fool. Whatever Niou was, it was stronger than his demon peers, or at least those he pretended were his peers, and it was best not to provoke him.

He did however gently stretch his angel powers out to brush against Niou's aura but only got the generic 'demon' ping in return. Deciding not to push things, Tezuka turned and continued his walk home, now mulling over Niou and the extra complication to his life.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Atobe handed out another flyer of coupons to a passing pedestrian and tried to remember to smile. The more people that went into the restaurant and used them, the less time they'd have to be standing out here. But working this position was one of his least favourite even if it was one of the most lucrative businesses overseen by the demons. There was something about associating with fast food and a horrifying clown on top of that, that did not mesh well with the Atobe name. At least he didn't have to dress up like the damned thing.

"Come try our new hamburger," Yukimura said as he passed out another flyer to a passing couple before moving back to him as the light turned red and the flow of people stopped. "How much longer?"

"Too long," Atobe said as he considered their still tall stacks of flyers.

"Plenty of time to consider our revenge though," Yukimura said with a smile that was nearly more terrifying than his glares.

"Get fifty yen off your set meal," Atobe said as he passed over a flyer to a young man as he passed.

"Thank you," The man said as he paused, giving Atobe time to look him over and realize that he really did recognize that voice.

"Tezuka?"

"Keep up the good work," Tezuka said before walking past the both of them and continuing on his way through Shibuya.

"I'm going to kill Niou," Atobe said.

"Don't forget Fuji… and revenge would be sweeter."

Atobe nodded. Revenge would be sweeter. It might even be sweet enough to wipe away the bitter taste of embarrassment.

He and Yukimura would certainly have the time to plan something satisfying as they worked together to fulfill all of their demon duty obligations.

Niou and Fuji would certainly regret playing games on them.

-end


End file.
